2001
by Lady Demosthenes
Summary: The G boys are doing what they do best.... battling OZ... but something rather unexpected takes place.... somehow Heero's weapon shortcircuits and the G boys as well as their enemies Zechs and Treize are all transported to the past... Chapter 14 now up!
1. Default Chapter

**_2001_**

_The study of history is realizing that the source of every current existence lies in the past._

_~Brea Ettel_

**Chapter One: An Unusual Battle**  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE: The original version has been revised to what you see here. The plot remains consistent, but there are better descriptions and perhaps some added scenes. If you have already read the older version, you don't have to reread (Though I would recommend it.) unless you want to get the extra tidbits that have been added. It will not affect the plot, though.  
**  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gundam Wing. I never have. Never will. I find that very depressing.  
  
  


"So, today's the big day?" Duo asked casually rocking back on his chair. He was referring to the fact that Heero had been planning the perfect attack strategy for weeks, and was ready to initiate it. Heero just grunted slightly, which obviously meant "yes". The Gundam pilots stood gathered around Heero's computer as he presented them with their maneuvering tactics. The computer screen flashed with detailed 3-D models of the gundams attacking OZ Leos. It presented every possible maneuvering pattern OZ had previously used and showed how to counter attack each one. It was a strategy that only the elite Heero Yuy could be responsible for creating.  
  
"Pretty Impressive," Wufei commented as the presentation ended. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the table watching with dark penetrating eyes. OZ would finally pay for everything. He would avenge the death of the one who had died for him. *  
  
"Now all we have to do is put our plan into action," Trowa added. Everyone turned to gaze at him; he was usually reticent so it was an attention-grabber when he did speak.  
  
Duo smiled with arms stretched in the air in a dramatic show of lethargy, "I don't know what's keeping you guys, but I'm ready to kick some OZ butt." He pulled himself up from the chair and ran a hand against his forehead. The god of death walked away with his braid swaying behind him.  
  
"Duo's right," Heero said getting up from the seat he had right in front of the computer.   
  
Duo quickly turned around, while going through the doorway, looking rather shocked, "Wow for once the immortal one agreed with me." He turned back around and walked into the hangar to Deathscythe, which stood awaiting him. Everyone followed him without further ado. "Well, buddy, we ready to do another day's worth of work?" he asked, though Deathscythe never responded. He ran his hand along the strong gundanium metal knowing that no one could stand a chance against the dynamic duo of his gundam and himself.  
  
"Stop blabbing and let's go!" Wufei shouted from the cockpit of Shenlong. He had not dawdled like Duo had; instead, he had gone straight to his gundam prepared to take OZ down.   
  
Duo sighed and obediently boarded on to Deathscythe. The clangor of metal resounded through the room as five cockpits closed and five gundams prepared to head out into battle.   
  
The plan was quite simple; all the gundams had to do was attack OZ at once but from different sides. Heero had perfectly planned each gundam's position according to the weaknesses of each pilot and the breaches in OZ maneuverings. He would lead the attack, ofr course, as the unsung leader of the group. As the five gundams surreptitiously crept up on the base, they began to arrange themselves into the proper places for the attack. The OZ base looked rather peaceful that day, but the pilots wouldn't be fooled. Wufei's eyes gleamed with anger as he saw the high-class edifice that was the OZ base. "How dare they have such lofty bases when people are suffering and dying on decrepit colonies that could use this funding!"  
  
Heero watched the building coming closer and closer with extreme composure. Inside that organization plans were being made that would determine the fate of earth, and he was going to stop them. Organization like that could not be allowed to thrive, lest more like himself would have to be born to stop them. He would end it all today.   
  
  


* * *  
  
  


Zechs and Treize were discussing battle tactics in the tracking room while watching the last few battles between OZ and the gundams. The battles had proved to be a failure for OZ; they were no match for the mobile suits one on one, but their sheer number was what kept their organization from dying out.   
  
"Treize," Zechs said uneasily when he noticed some activity on the radar system, "there are five enemy suits headed straight for us." It didn't take him long to recognize the radar patterns of the mobile suits. There was no doubt about it; they were gundams.  
  
"Only five?" Treize answered rather coolly, "That's it?" He was expecting the low suited MS of scattered guerillas.  
  
"They are gundams, Treize," Zechs stated forcefully, hoping Treize would grasp the urgency of the situation, "if we don't launch a counterattack, they could easily turn this base into sizzling ashes."  
  
"Gather your best men, and let's go fight them off," Treize ordered, his face reflecting his understanding of the situation, "I'll be coming too." He wasn't going to be a coward and stay back while his soldiers were risking their lives.  
  
"Yes sir," Zechs stood up and saluted before running to enforce the orders.  
  
  


* * *  
  
  


"Where's our welcoming committee?" Duo asked observing that enemy suits had not yet been launched. He had figured that an organization like OZ would have an equip enough tracking system to have a counterattack ready well before they had arrived. Especially with the circuitous route they had taken. Or perhaps that had thrown them off and they had been not considered as a threat.  
  
"Right over there!" Quartre shouted as the enemy suits streamed out. They resembled a swarm of locusts coming to ravage a village's crops. "That's all they are," Quatre thought, "locusts, ones that destroy lives and happiness."  
  
"Alright, remember the plan," Heero reminded them briskly before the battle commenced.  
  
Tallgeese lead the Leos, and behind Tallgeese in the first Leo was obviously Treize. Wing gundam flew forward towards Tallgeese and the beam sabers began to clash with slivers of colored light flying through the air. Everything was going as planned, the other four gundams wiped out most of the Leos in a few seconds leaving only Zechs and Treize. Heero was about to give a finishing blow to Treize when something rather unexpected happened… his beam saber short circuited and there was a large explosion that consumed all five gundams as well as Treize and Zechs …  
  
  
  
  


* * *  
  
  
  
  


Heero hit the ground on his bottom with a soft thud; the impact didn't hurt; however, because he had landed on sand. "Where the heck am I?!" he thought, remembering that only seconds ago he was in a rigorous battle that had almost resulted in victory. Heero looked around shocked to see the other gundam pilots as well as Treize and Zechs also on the ground a few feet away from him. Duo was red faced and looking around in disbelief on the verge of throwing a fit.  
  
"Would someone please explain what is going on?" Zechs asked rather annoyed, his long platinum blond hair was flying in the rough wind. Luckily, his mask shielded his face from the abrasive sand particles soaring dangerously through the air.  
  
"We'd tell you if we knew Mask boy!" Duo answered impatiently; he didn't know exactly how to react to the situation.  
  
"Something tells me we aren't in Kansas anymore," Quartre commented sheepishly. He sat cross-legged on the sand enjoying the feeling of the warm wind blowing against his face. His fighting goggles shielded his eyes from any nuisances that might try to irk his eyes.  
  
"Well, it doesn't take a genius to see that we aren't where we started!" Wufei snapped. He was intolerant in situations that did not play the way he had wanted them to play out. "Victory was so close," he thought, "justice so near…"  
  
"Calm down!" Heero shouted, and everyone obeyed without question even the OZ soldiers. The four other pilots knew from the fact that Heero had raised his voice that they were in quite a predicament. He wished for silence to mull over what just happened and why they were now in the middle of no where. "Ok, let's see, my beam saber short circuited and there was a big explosion."  
  
"We're DEAD?!" Duo said jumping off the ground in hasty conclusion, "but that's not possible I'm TOO young to die!" Duo pouted and angrily grabbed a rock and threw it at Treize.  
  
  
  
"Will you stop that!" Treize stated while ducking the flying stone. It landed an inch away from where he was situated.   
  
"Now everyone calm down!" Quatre chided while gesturing with his hands. The attention of everyone turned to him except for Heero's.  
  
The wind blew even more harshly and a newspaper flew by; using acute reflexes, he snatched it up mid air. His eyes scanned it to discover that the date at the top read: July 6, 2001. Heero bit his lower lip thinking, "How are we ever going to get out of this one?"   
  
*This is a reference to Episode Zero Manga in which you find out about how Wufei's wife, Meilin, is killed while trying to protect Wufei during an attack. Meilin called herself Nataku and was a firm believer in Justice. At the time, Wufei did not believe in Justice, but after her death, he dedicated his life to upholding it. –sniffles- Such a sad story.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you enjoy! Please R and R!


	2. Excuse Me, Would Someone Please Tell Us ...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the gundam characters or the show (but I wish I did) so please don't sue me.  
  
Author's Note: This chapter has been revised as well. If you haven't read it yet, hope you enjoy!  
  
 Chapter Two: So Where are We?  
  
 Duo kept grumbling on and on, "We can't be dead!  Death doesn't die!" He was take handfuls of sand and throwing them into the air without caring in whose face it landed in.  
  
 "Will you calm down already?" Heero stated still clutching the newspaper he had found in his hand, but away from everyone's view. The hand that held the paper was slightly quivering.  
  
 "Where are we?" Quatre asked looking around but seeing nothing but the endless stretch of sand dunes. He was now standing with his arms open wide as if he wanted to hug the sun. "Well, if we had to end up anywhere, I'm glad it was a desert and not the Antarctic," he thought with a small smile to himself.  
  
 "It's obvious we're in a desert," Zechs commented.  The gundam pilots all turned to face him; they had forgotten that they had also brought their enemies along for the ride.  "What?" Zechs inquired while glaring at the staring bunch, "you asked and I'm stating the obvious!" He gestured towards the valley of the scorching sun to make his point.  
  
 "Listen here!" Wufei shouted with fists clenched, "we don't know where we are, and we didn't want to bring you either, so I say we go our separate ways, or we just kill you!" The unforgiving UV rays were beginning to get to him.  
  
 "But that wouldn't be right Wufei," Quatre tried to make peace as always, "wolves may fight amongst each other, but they unite when a common problem arises." His eyes were filled with this content look that came from being the timid hearted of the group.  
  
 Duo looked rather befuddled, "What about wolves?  I don't see any wolves!"  Quatre sighed; he had tried at least.  
  
 Then Trowa spoke quietly, "I think what our friend is saying is for us to work together during this dilemma, and then afterwards try to kill each other." Trowa's words caught everyone's attention because they had to remain silent in order to hear him speak. Plus, it was common knowledge among the pilots that Trowa was the taciturn sort, and that when he did speak, the words usually held wisdom.  
  
 "Ahhh… now I see," Duo nodded the light bulb finally turning on. He clapped his hands together at the amazement of his own understanding. Though he had understood even before Trowa explained. He figured someone had to be the comical relief of the bunch since the tension was so thick that one could cut it with a knife.  
  
 "So we have a truce?" Wufei said holding out his hand, "Though I really would have preferred to kill you." And his eyes blazed with the yearning for revenge that he had to restrain.   
  
 "And you think I wouldn't of had it the same way?" Zechs answered with his hands behind his back, "Fine, we're at a truce, but I'm not going to shake your hand."  Wufei quickly pulled his hand back.   
  
   
  
"Why don't we find the nearest city?" Treize suggested. Attention poured on to the leader of the OZ specials who stood with his cape waving in the wind.  
  
 "How about you be quiet Mr. Scary Eyebrows and let Heero come up with the ideas," Duo snapped.  Duo displayed his famous Duo Maxwell grin; it felt good to show power. Treize fell silent; it would be futile to try to help the situation when the majority present were enemies.  
  
 "I say that we should try to find the nearest town," Heero stated a few seconds later aware that Treize's idea was a good one but would only be considered if he was the one to present it.  
  
 Treize was slightly furious, but he remained calm as he always did and simply whispered to Zechs, "Isn't that what I just said?"  Zechs only shrugged and walked off to catch up with the gundam pilots who had already started walking.  
  
There was no doubt about it that Zechs and Treize were friends. But in this desperate situation, it proved that every OZ soldier was for himself. He could either agree with the pilots to get through the quagmire easier or side with Treize in a vain attempt to hold power. And as it was, it seemed that the best thing Zechs could do is follow the guide of the pilots.    
  
 Heero had decided to remain quiet about the fact that they were not only far from home; they were far from that time period as well.  "No use scaring them about it now," he thought, "besides, you saw how everyone threw fits when they found out we were far from home, no use getting them excited again.  His stride was strong like that of a perfect soldier, but what bothered him was that he couldn't see any buildings for miles.  He started to ponder over the situation again, "What was 2001 like?"  He was digging through his memories for his early history lessons.  Pity he fell asleep during most of them because it would have come in really useful now.  Then a thought that he wanted to push out from his brain rang in, "What if there is just no way home, the technology doesn't exist in the future, so it obviously doesn't exist now either, what if we are doomed to die here in the desert and have the vultures pick our bones clean?"  
  
 "Something bothering you Heero?" Quatre asked.  He was rather content, actually, walking through the desert; some how feeling the sand under his feet made him feel at home. But he knew that Heero was probably not fond of the desert environment.  
  
 Heero turned to Quatre, "Nothing is wrong."  But somehow Quatre could tell he was lying; something *was* wrong.  
  
 The sun began to set over the sandy hills and night began to overtake the desert.  Without any urban lights the stars twinkled like thousands of diamonds painting a breathtaking mosaic in the sky.  Presently, the group was beginning to get tired, and the weaker ones started to lag behind.  
  
 "Come on Treize!" Zechs shouted from the front of the group, whether Treize was actually tired or he was purposely walking slowly was beyond him.  
  
 "I'm coming Milliardo," Treize panted quickening his pace. The fine life cost him; he might have been fit for battle, but not fit for the brutal atmosphere of the desert.  
  
 Zechs became crimson, but his mask hid it. "I told you never to call me that," he whispered in a chilling voice.  
  
 "Man, are my legs ACHING," Duo commented a few minutes later. He was indeed stumbling a bit through the sand, not used to the walking on such a loose surface.  
  
   
  
"Why don't we stop and rest here, we should take a break and sleep even if we don't have all the time in the world," Zechs suggested. He was beginning to tire as much as the others.  
  
 "You have no idea what irony that statement has," Heero thought, "for we do have all the time in the world. And more." He hadn't tired out yet because his training had demanded that he be able to stand vigorous days of toil.  
  
 "I think that's a good idea!" Duo announced quickly taking the opportunity to lie down for some rest. He lay sprawled on the sand allowing the aches of his body to drain away from his body.  
  
 "Sure, listen to his suggestions," Treize mumbled joining Duo.  They all tried to make themselves comfortable laying in the sand with nothing but stones for pillows.  Despite the conditions most of them slept peacefully, but sleep wouldn't come to either Zechs or Heero that night.   
  
 Zechs sat up, " There's something strange about all this," he muttered to himself.  
  
 "Got that part right," Heero answered; though he was about ten feet away, he had heard Zechs.  
  
 "Oh, so you can't sleep either?" Zechs asked.  Looks like he wouldn't be alone for once. Of course, of all people to hold a conversation with, Heero was last on his list.  
  
 "For that matter, I never sleep," Heero answered, "listen Zechs, this situation is worse than it seems." He didn't want to tell Zechs what was going on, but he felt like he needed to tell someone before he could rest in peace. And Zechs was the only option at the moment.  
  
 Zechs couldn't help but laugh, "Oh you mean it gets worse than being stuck in the middle of the desert, with not particularly your favorite people, without any food or water, or means of getting around?" In an odd sort of way, the situation seemed amusingly impossible.  
  
 "Unfortunately, yes," Heero seemed rather serious, "and you just reminded me that we don't have any food or water, so I think the situation is even worse than I thought." How could he have forgotten about food and water? It was probably because his body never cared for those necessities. No wonder everyone thought of him as a robot.  
  
 "So, what is so horribly bad Heero?" Zechs asked in a wry tone, "Is it that you don't have a weapon to shoot me?"  
  
 "I'm sure I'll manage without that," Heero smirked, "I guess I should tell you but you can't tell the others because they might get too how should I say this, scared." He didn't want it to look like he thought of the other pilots as cowardly. He just didn't think they had the capability at the moment to accept the truth. But from observing Zechs, he had seen that the masked man possessed a sense of calmness that would aid him in soaking in the truth.  
  
 "Alright," Zechs answered. It was easy enough terms to agree with, so there was no reason not to agree.  
  
 "Well, it seems that not only are we far from home, we are also in another time," Heero started, "the year 2001 according to this newspaper I found." He brought the Newspaper into view for the first time.  
  
   
  
"So it CAN get worse," Zechs smirked using amusement to mask his worry, "I suppose this mean that since we don't know exactly how we got here in the first place, our chances of returning our slim if there is EVEN a chance at all."  Heero grumbled, Zechs had confirmed what he had refused to believe before.  "I'm getting some rest," Zechs said, laying his head on the nearest rock, "I suggest that you do too."  
  
 Heero lay down in the sand, but he couldn't sleep; it baffled him, "How can he sleep when there might be a chance we'll never go home?"  
  
Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed the revision. Please Review!     


	3. Just Follow The Yellow Brick Road, What ...

Chapter Three: "Just Follow The Yellow Brick Road, What Road? There's Only Sand Out HERE!"  
  
The rays of the dawning sun stung at the faces of the gundam pilots and their enemies as they tried to cling to sleep. The night had seemed very short for the exhausted bunch. They probably would have all slept longer if it hadn't been for Duo who so kindly woke them all up.  
  
"I'm hungry!" Duo complained loudly enough to startle those who had been sleeping from their slumber. Groans were heard from those who had just been torn apart from their date with REM (note: Rapid Eye Movement, a deep period of sleep when dreams occurred; ok, back to the story).  
  
"I agree with Duo, some food would be nice," Quatre stated cheerfully. He had aroused earlier to watch the desert sun creep across the sky. Nostalgia churned within him at the sight of a desert.  
  
"Well, I'm sooorrrryyyy, but you aren't back at home where you can have everything brought for you on a silver platter!" Wufei fumed. His own stomach was growling, and he couldn't think of any way to handle it but to thunder at others.  
  
"Calm down Wufei," Heero whispered, "or else we'll make sure that you don't eat when we find food." Wufei needed an ultimatum; he was a very strong willed young man and didn't readily listen to anyone. Heero knew that all to well. He was the same way, just not as openly demanding.  
  
"If we find food," Trowa sighed. His point was all too valid; Heero hoped it wouldn't cause everyone to panic even more.  
  
"Our current goal, should first of all be, to find the nearest city because if we don't there will be more things than food that might kill us," Zechs commented. Once again all the boys turned and stared at Zechs. "What is this some sort of staring contest?!" he asked rather exasperated.  
  
"Hey isn't he cute!?" Duo stated from a few feet away walking towards them and opening his hand to reveal a lanky black creature.  
  
"DUO! That's a scorpion!" Quatre screeched, "put it down it may be venomous!" He jumped back in astonishment that Duo would do such a thing as to play with death by picking up a scorpion. But he should have figured, Duo didn't mind death. He *was* death.  
  
"Sorry, 'ol pal, but Q boy says I have to let you go," Duo sighed putting the scorpion on a nearby rock.  
  
"I wonder," Trowa articulated quietly, "if we would be able to find an edible animal here." Duo's little escapade had given him an idea.  
  
"We could just use cacti as our water source," Zechs added. His throat was parched; oh, how he would pay to have some water to drink.  
  
"I think I'd pass," Duo replied his mind playing the image of himself covered in cactus spikes.  
  
"Well, It's not going to help to just stand around yapping!" Wufei dictated, "Come on let's go!" He felt as if standing around was just wasting precious time.  
  
So the boys trekked on while Duo sang rather spiritedly "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". The sun had a scorching affect, and Zechs and Treize were forced to take their OZ jackets off, though that still didn't help because of the long sleeved shirts they wore under them. Several times the group stumbled along struggling to withstand the heat. Beads of sweat were even trickling down Quatre's face who loved the desert.  
  
  
  
"I see lights!" Quatre shouted pointing ahead, "Come on you guys, run!" His eyes couldn't believe what he saw.  
  
  
  
"No! QUATRE NO!" Heero tried warning him but it was too late. Quatre began to sprint and then he tripped over a rock and fell face first into the sand. Heero sighed; he had hoped of all people, Quatre would have recognized a mirage.  
  
  
  
When Quatre lifted his head, he asked in a dizzy voice, "Where did the lights go?"  
  
  
  
"I TRIED to warn you, but would you listen?" Heero stressed the tried part, "it was only a mirage." Sweat poured down his faces like raging torrents even though he was the most lightly dressed of the group.  
  
  
  
"I knew that," Quatre answered innocently trying to cover his blunder and rubbing his face with pain. "I can't believe I didn't realize that was a mirage," he muttered to himself, "this heat really must be getting to me." He found himself wishing all of a sudden to be on the battlefield, for it had a better survival rate than here. "I'm being quite capricious," he thought.  
  
  
  
"Get up Quatre, we still have a long way to go," Wufei walked by him without even offering him a helping hand to get up. Quatre pulled himself up from the sand and brushed his clothes off. This was not going to be an enjoyable experience.  
  
The boys slowly inched their way towards, well they didn't know exactly WHERE they wanted to go, but as long as it had food and water that's all that mattered. At noon they decided to rest with the sun blistering above their heads. All around them was a sea of sand.  
  
  
  
"Say, there aren't waves in the desert are there?" Duo asked filled with curiosity at something that had caught his attention.  
  
  
  
"No, Duo," Trowa answered irritated by Duo's question because it reminded him of how thirsty he was. He remembered a time when food was scarce, as was water, but he had never been so thirsty in his life before.  
  
  
  
"Oh, so I supposed that is a mirage too," Duo stated pointing behind Trowa. They all turned to face what Duo was pointing at. It was a behemoth of sand rising high above their heads and thundering forward at an alarming rate.  
  
  
  
"THAT'S NOT A MIRAGE!" Zechs shouted in horror and realization, "That's a sand storm!" His long hair slapped around behind him like many blonde whips.  
  
  
  
"RUN!" Treize ordered shuddering at the sight. If they didn't move, they would all be dead. "Perhaps then the war would be over," he thought, "No, we cannot die."  
  
  
  
"I don't take orders from Oz soldiers with scary eyebrows," Duo answered intimidated. He knew he wasn't helping the situation, but if he was going to die, he was going to die, and it wouldn't be right after taking orders from an OZ member.  
  
  
  
"We don't have much time for arguing, Duo, just run!" Zechs exclaimed, frustrated. This was no time for taking sides. When life was in peril, they would have to agree or die. It bothered him as it must have bothered Duo, for he was not fond of the pilots either. After all, they had killed many of his own men, and now when he had the perfect opportunity for revenge, he couldn't use it to his advantage if he wanted to live.  
  
  
  
"Alright!" Duo answered with an afterthought of, "I need to listen if I want to live. No joking around here, Maxwell. No. No. I need to make them laugh. I need to laugh. Or else the tears would prevail."  
  
The sand storm roared behind them like a treacherous monster hunting down its prey. It seemed the faster they ran, the faster the sand storm became and it all seemed hopeless. "This is the end, buddy," Duo thought to himself, "Man, how stupid. I die in a sandstorm. I'd rather die in battle."  
  
The sand storm blocked out the sunlight, which was some relief, but it also made them see how trivial the scorching sun had been in comparison to the sand storm. "I'll never talk to my sisters again; I'll never have the joy of riding in Sandrock again."  
  
Their muscles ached yet they knew that they could not stop. "Catherine… stay strong," Trowa thought.  
  
"Meilin, no, I mean Nataku. Forgive me. I tried," Wufei sighed.  
  
"Lady, please don't despair," Treize thought morosely.  
  
"Father. Forgive me for choosing the bloody path of revenge."  
  
The sand was about to consume them when. . .  
  
Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed the revision of Chapter 3. Hope you Review! 


	4. The Joy and the Despair

Chapter 4: The Joy and the Despair  
  
Author's Note: Did everybody like the cliffhanger in the previous chapter? Anyway, this is the revised version of chapter 4.  
  
The wind ceased to blow and the sand fell. Actually fell sparing them, when it had only been a few meters behind them. Silence fell over the group until, Duo started to scream, "It's MIRACLE!" Everybody sighed in disbelief; that had rather close.  
  
"I knew everything would be ok," Treize asserted, but no one paid him any heed.  
  
Duo kept jumping around in circles shouting out in pure ecstasy. His pleasure ended, though when his foot caught on a rock like Quatre's had and he fell (poor Duo, he doesn't deserve that) face forward. Except, instead of having sand break his fall, he landed on something much harder. The thud sounded rather painful and Duo suppressed a cry of agony. The notorious object that broke his fall was a gray slab of concrete the seemed to extend for miles with white bands painted in the middle.  
  
"Well, looks like we found a road," Zechs smiled; luck was finally playing the right cards for them. He crossed his arms and thought, "About time."  
  
"You mean *I* found a road," Duo answered rubbing his head and getting back on his feet. He was the one who had to suffer miserably in order to discover its existence; he thought he should at least receive credit for it.  
  
"It's a bit shabby to be a road, but then again, who knows where we are," Trowa commented. The quiet observer; sometimes stating the obvious in a manner deeper than most could grasp.  
  
"Hey! Look! There's a sign!" Duo pointed excitingly jumping up and down with his braid flying through the air. It was a rather beaten up sign with rust crawling across the edges, but still it was a sign. The sign was green and in bold white letters that had begun to fade it read: 25 miles to Las Vegas.  
  
"Zechs, don't we have an OZ base in Las Vegas?" Treize asked hopefully recalling a location from the back of his mind. "If we get to the base," he thought, "the truce would most likely be off and we'll finally be able to rid ourselves of those irksome pilots. He smoothed back light brown hair and waited for Zechs's answer to his question.  
  
"We WILL," Zechs mumbled sullenly while pulling the sleeves of his shirt up his muscular arms. He would just have to risk the sunburns or die of the heat. Heero glared at Zechs; perhaps it was time to tell everyone the intensity of the situation.  
  
"What does 'we will' mean?" Treize replied confused with uneasiness filling his gut, "I'm pretty sure OZ has a base right now at Las Vegas in the Nevada territory." He finally recalled the blueprints of the base; "Zechs's memory must be slipping," Treize tried to reassure himself.  
  
"He says that because OZ doesn't exist right now," Heero answered. Everyone looked at Heero in a "what the heck are you talking about" manner.  
  
"Could things get any worst?" Treize thought worriedly, "worse than being in the middle of no where…with enemies…"  
  
Heero went on trying to phrase the words in a manner that would not totally devastate them, "Obviously, not only were we sent to a different place when my weapon short circuited, we were also sent to a different time. We are in the year 2001." Heero waited for the reaction. Silence followed.  
  
"But that's ancient," Quatre stated piercing the quiet with his obvious statement. The situation seemed so surreal that he didn't really know what to say.  
  
"They're taking it better than I thought," Zechs thought, "perhaps they are not really the children as many label them to be."  
  
"Ok! That's IT!" Duo started shouting again, "We're DOOMED! Doomed to die here! Oh woe is me, I would of rather had a brilliant death as shinigami in battle but noooooo…… fate has different plans! We're all going to die of either lack of food, lack of water, or the savage locals will come kill us and use our heads for drums!" He didn't know how else to react to the situation.  
  
Zechs smirked, "Now Duo, Let's not be *too* optimistic now." "Perhaps I was wrong," Zechs thought, "but then again, how else would you expect them to react?" Quatre began to calm Duo down as the others shuffled about wondering what the next course of action would be.  
  
"I say we follow the road to Lis Vegas," Treize stated; he still thought it to be a lie. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
  
"First of all, it's LAS VEGAS; I thought you said you had an OZ base there so get it right," Duo stated rather sarcastically, "Second of all, you have to remember, none of us are taking orders from you." There was not power on this playing field, and Duo wanted Treize to remember that.  
  
"Why don't we start following the road since we have no other choice?" Quatre suggested. He knew Duo would listen to him.  
  
"Ok, everyone, let's do what Quatre says," Duo answered starting to lead the way on the heat beaten road. Being on solid ground assuaged the pain of their feet a little, but the sun still baked them from above.  
  
"I'm sooo thirsty," Quatre sighed as they walked along.  
  
"It's ok, Quatre, we'll reach a city soon," Trowa tried to comfort the pilots who were obviously exhausted. Zechs quietly took off his mask; it was getting rather hot. (Ok, note from the author: Is it just me or has anyone else wondered, if that guy spends too much time in the sun and then takes off his mask, wouldn't half his face be lighter than the other half? Ok, enough of my babbling, I'll just ignore that fact.) It was obvious that they were in a whole other ballgame so it didn't matter anymore. There was no war here. There was no revenge to be taken. There was no reason to hide his face with an impediment to his survival.  
  
"Look on the bright side," Duo said, "if we live and go back home, we'll have a heck of a story to tell, not only that we'll all have suntans!" Everyone groaned at the reminder of the sun beating at their backs. "And then we'll have all the attention of every girl we see!" Duo stated triumphantly. Such fantasies were the only thing keeping him alive right now.  
  
  
  
"How many miles do you think we have walked?" Zechs asked. Everyone stared at him noticing his actual face for the first time.  
  
"Hey! You took off your mask," Quatre asserted.  
  
"Is there a law that says I have to wear it 24/7?" Zechs answered pale bangs blowing gently. He could have been a supermodel. (Author: giggles wildly and goes chibi.) After his forceful answer, everyone decided to leave him alone about the whole mask issue.  
  
"It feels like we've walked a thousand miles," Duo groaned rubbing his aching legs. His black outfit might have been comfortable enough in battle, but it sure bothered him here in the desert.  
  
"I don't think that would be possible," Trowa answered. Duo was too exhausted to say anything back.  
  
The road kept on stretching for what seemed to be eternity waving in the distance due to the heat. They walked until dusk fell upon them, and then they sat down to rest for a little while.  
  
"We should keep going," the perfect soldier said, "we can't stop now." (Yeah, if they sleep on the road, they might end up as road kill and that would be BAD.) They all nodded without argument.  
  
So walk they did, and walked and walked and walked until their muscles begged for mercy and then…..  
  
Author's Note: So ends the revision of chapter four! I hope you enjoyed! Give me an email sometime at ladydemosthenes9@yahoo.com 


	5. Need a Ride?

Chapter Five: Need a Ride?  
  
From the distance a large car drove closer and closer. "Hey! That looks like a car!" Quatre exclaimed.  
  
"Let's just hope it isn't another one of your mirages," Wufei replied. Duo paid no attention and started to wave his hands in the air. The car, which was a van began to slow down in response.  
  
"Well, looks like we might actually make it out of this mess," Trowa said.  
  
"We aren't anywhere near home even if we get into Las Vegas," Heero answered.  
  
"Oh Heero, don't be so pessimistic!" Duo shouted still waving his hands in the air.  
  
"You're one to talk," Zechs grunted. The van was teal colored with brown stripes; it pulled over when it reached the group. The driver was a middle aged woman who had a maternal air about her.  
  
"Ya boys need a ride?" she said in a rather country accent.  
  
"Oh s.." Duo was jumping up to get into the car but Heero pulled him back down by the braid.  
  
"Ouch! Now what the heck was that for?" Duo complained pulling his braid from Heero's grasp.  
  
"We have to think about this," Heero said, "can we trust this lady?"  
  
"Remember Heero, we are in a different time period, it's the good old days when people were nice and didn't try to assassinate you right on the spot," Quatre reminded Heero.  
  
"Why don't we weigh our choices?" Trowa said, "we can either say no and keep walking knowing that we'll probably die painful slow deaths, or we can say yes and go and if she turns out to be an assassin, which is highly unlikely, we'll die quick painful deaths."  
  
"I get the point," Heero grumbled, "but no one blame me if we end up dead."  
  
"We probably would have ended up dead anyway," Zechs commented.  
  
"Sure we'll take a ride, Lady," Duo answered in his most polite manner.  
  
"I get the front seat!" Wufei shouted.  
"Who says?!" Heero said.  
  
"I'm the oldest I should get the front seat," Treize replied calmly.  
  
"Shut up!" Wufei and Heero said and unison.  
  
Duo only giggled and the boys turned to face him and see that he had beaten while they were fighting.  
  
"INJUSTICE MAXWELL!" Wufei screamed.  
  
Zechs sighed, "Will you all just get in the car already!" The boys nodded and filed in the car. The seats were a crème colored leather and quite an alternative to the rocks they had to rest on.  
  
"Ya boys goin to a costume party?" the lady asked.  
  
"Costume party?!" Wufei began but Quatre quickly covered his mouth.  
  
"Yes ma'am we are going to a costume party," Quatre said, "in Las Vegas, would you mind taking us there?"  
  
"Well, that's where I'm off to, to make my fortune!" the lady laughed a high pitch laugh and the boys were forced to cover their ears.  
  
"What is she talking about?" Trowa whispered to Heero  
  
"Beats me," Heero shrugged. Most of the ride was in silence except for occasional whispers between the boys. The air conditioning blasting against their red faces was quite welcoming and it took their minds off their parched tongues for a while. The van turned at a curb and a spectacular city came to view.  
  
"Ok, boys, we're in Las Vegas," the lady said. They stared, dumbfounded; it was unlike anything that existed in the war torn future world. "So," the lady said playing with her curly red hair, "you wanna be let out here?"  
  
"Sure," Heero said staring at the elaberate display of lights that filled the city night. Everywhere they looked there was excitement and they couldn't believe such a city existed right smack middle of a desert.  
  
"Are you sure this isn't a mirage?" Quatre asked. No one answered him. One by one they got out of the car. "Thank you ma'am," Quatre said politely as he joined the others.  
  
"So, where do we go now," Trowa said.  
"FOOD! We go get food!" Duo shouted running towards the nearest restaurant. The inside was very elaborate; it was obviously an Arabian restaurant. The décor was of Persian rugs and jeweled swords. A young lady dressed as an Arabian princess and clad with many jewels came up to them.   
  
"My name if Fatima! Follow my sultans to be seated!" she exclaimed.  
  
Duo smiled, "I really think I'm gonna like it here." The boys followed obediently to a low table. Instead of chairs there were red silk cushions lined with gold. Duo quickly plopped down on to one of them and the others did as well.  
  
"How may I serve you my lords," another young waitress dressed like the first said.  
  
"I think we'll all stick to the kabob special," Heero said and the others nodded in unison.  
  
"How I'd love to have some water!" Quatre exclaimed.  
  
"I think we'd all like water," Trowa said.  
  
"Yes, my lords, I shall bring thine meal out shortly," and with that the lady went off. The background music was exotic and the place itself just seemed like heaven. The meal was brought out shortly and no one wasted any time; they just dug right in. In fact the speed of their eating caused the other customers to stare.  
  
"What are you staring at?" Duo said between bites. Quickly, everyone went back to his or her own business. The plates were quickly emptied and scraped clean and presently the waitress returned with a bill.  
  
"Just put it on the OZ account," Treize said casually. Zechs then realized their mistake…. they had no money for the current time period.  
  
"Is this some sort of joke?" the waitress said angrily, "pay up or I have to get the manager!"  
  
"Oh shoot," said Duo, "it just keeps on getting worse and worse."  
  
  
  



	6. Scrub a Dub Dub

Chapter Six: Scrub a Dub Dub  
  
"So!" the waitress sneered, "you have no money? Well, the boss has certain procedures for people without money!" She stomped off to call the boss while several other waitresses kept watch over them.  
  
"We can easily overpower these weak onnas," Wufei whispered to Heero.  
  
"No, I have a feeling that wouldn't be a good idea," Heero said. And so they waited to see what their fate would be. The lady came back red faced and with a much older and bigger man.   
  
"There they are!" she shouted. The man inched towards them and picked Treize up by the collar.  
  
"So you are the bimbos that wouldn't pay?" he boomed. Treize swallowed hard gasping for breath. "Since I'm in a generous mood I'm going to let all of you live," he said. Zechs and several others snorted, this guy had no idea who he was messing with, but they'd play along for his sake. "Instead," the man continued, "you will have to wash dishes for three hours to make up for your bill of a hundred dollars." Duo mumbled. "Follow me to the kitchen," the man motioned them to follow, which they did. The kitchen was rather large with white tiles and in the sink stood a stack of about 200 dishes waiting to be cleaned not to mention the cups and the utensils.  
  
"There *are* dishwashers in this time period, right?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Of course there are!" the man grumbled feeling insulted, "but for that comment you aren't going to get to use them."  
  
"INJUSTICE!" Wufei shouted.  
  
"Life isn't fair, boy," and with that the man left the dishes to the boys.  
  
"I've got an idea," Quatre said, "Heero and Duo can do the washing, Trowa and I can rinse, and Zechs and Treize can dry."  
  
"And what about me?" Wufei asked annoyed.  
  
"Well…. You can put the dishes away in the cupboards," Quatre answered. Wufei sighed, how the heck had this happened anyway?   
  
"Why do Heero and I get the hardest jobs?" Duo asked.  
  
"Please spare us," Trowa spoke up, "let's just GET to work." And so they began to work washing the dishes. It hadn't been even ten minutes when the trouble began. Duo turned to Heero and splashed him with some cold water. The perfect soldier grunted and then splashed Duo back. And thus the water war started, soon Quatre and Trowa joined in and then Zechs. But Wufei and Treize remained out until both Zechs and Duo dumped tubs of soapy water over them. In the end they not only had to finish the dishes, they also had to clean the floor too. After finally finishing cleaning the floor and the dishes they were absolutely physically dead.  
  
"I'm ready to take a nice long nap," Duo commented.  
  
"You forget," Zechs sadly reminded them, "we don't HAVE a place to stay or sleep."  
  
"Now I KNOW it can't get worse than this," Wufei said. Of course, the irony always is that it does get worse. The manager had just so kindly kicked them out of the restaurant, furious with the mess they had caused even though they had cleaned it. The lights of the street seemed very welcoming.  
  
"So we'll just roam the streets to morning, right?" Duo asked.  
  
"Do we have any other choice?" Quatre answered him with another question. They walked on the cold pavement streets… tired… and wishing very much so for a nice warm bath and a place to stay. Currently they turned the corner and came face to face with a volcano daring to erupt. (Anyone who has gone to the Mirage hotel knows what I am talking about, if you haven't it has a simulator volcano in the front that is large and realistically erupts every few minutes or so.)  
  
"RUN!" Wufei shouted.  
  
"It's a VOLCANO!" Treize joined in. And so they ran, and ran into a dark alley until finally Zechs stopped them.  
  
"What fools we are!" Zechs shouted staring back at the volcano that had just erupted and the bunches of spectators watching, "it's only a model… a fake!" The gundam pilots sighed angered by the fact that they had been tricked. Presently they began to leave the dark alley but a bulky man in a leather jacket stopped them.  
  
"You little boys aren't from around here are you?" he smiled viciously. From behind him emerged about twenty gang members. "The name's Slick," he said, "remember that so you know who killed you."  
  
"This can't be good," Quatre said.   
  
But Duo only laughed, "These guys have no idea who they are messing wi.." before he could finish his sentence Slick grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. Duo quickly kicked Slick in the gut and flipped gracefully to land on the ground.  
  
"Gett'm and don't show any mercy!" Slick shouted angrily.  
  
"OK Run!" Quatre shouted but the gang was blocking their way out.  
  
"Sheesh, Murphy's Law (The law that states that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong) sure does like following us," Trowa said gulping.  



	7. Life Ain't Easy

Chapter Seven: Life Ain't Easy  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any other anime for that matter, but I wish I did (dreamy ripples) (Demo-chan is sitting in a nice leather chair in a room with anime wallpaper.) (A man wearing a business suit walks in and starts to bow. Man: Oh great boss, I have Zechs's voice actor coming to see you. Demo: Good. Man: We have started to dub Slayers. Demo: (Starts to scream) Don't you EVER dub anything again! Or you will be FIRED! From now on EVERYTHING will be subtitled and in its original version, if you value your jobs!)]  
(Dreaming ends) By the way, I don't own anything in Las Vegas either. Oh well, on to the story; did you guys like that cliffhanger?  
  
  
"Alright, there are seven of us and twenty of them, plus their leader makes twenty-one," Wufei analyzed.  
  
"So each of us would have to take on three men?!?!?" Quatre asked.  
  
"No problem," Heero said lunging towards the nearest man. Heero pushed him down like he was a fly. The man fell back and lost consciousness. Duo quickly followed up by taking out another gang member in one easy stroke. The gang leader began to step back but Zechs grabbed his arm.  
  
"I don't think it is wise mess with us, so why don't you just run off before anyone gets hurt," Zechs said smiling. The gang leader nodded and hurried off with his goons.  
  
"Ah… Zechs," Duo sighed, "why did you have to ruin our fun?"  
  
"We don't have time to mess around with those fools," Zechs stated, "we have to find a place to stay for the night."   
  
"Oh well," Duo said, "I'm sure there are still other fun things to do."  
  
"At least the weather is nice tonight," Quatre commented. As he spoke thunder rumbled in the sky and a downpour of rain fell on to the boys.  
  
"You and your big mouth," Duo replied.  
  
Wufei grunted, "You are one to talk." They began to leave the dark alley all drenched and tired and with no where to stay.  
  
"Really, what did we do to deserve this?" Wufei asked. The thunder rumbled loudly as if in reply. Presently, they passed by a hotel by the name of Bellagio. It gave a lovely display of dancing shooting spurts of water even though it was raining extremely hard and the hotel's lights looked very welcoming and warm.  
  
"Now THAT looks like a nice place to stay," Duo sighed.  
  
"What we need to do is find out the rates of these places and then come up with a way to get some money into our hands," Zechs said.  
  
"That sounds like a pretty good idea," Quatre agreed.  
  
"And it would give us an excuse to stay out of the rain," Duo commented wringing out the water from his braid. So together they slowly made their way closer to the entrance. Entering cautiously the made their way towards the front desk. The place was truly like a castle with marble floors and comfortable couches, towards the back they could spy botanical gardens that seemed like paradise. Yet it was all too good to last. As soon as they entered a security guard disgusted by their wet looks and the water piles they were making came towards them. Anyone of them could easily have taken him on, but they knew that fighting would decrease any chance they had of taking accommodations at the hotel. The security guard rudely shouted at them and kicked them out without listening to their motives of being there.  
  
"Nice city," Duo snorted sarcastically as they walked back into the rain.  
  
"We could stay over there for the night," Zechs pointed to a nice little pavilion located near the hotel but secluded enough that no one would notice them.  
  
"I don't see any other choice," Heero grunted. And thus the seven soaked humans from the future sprinted to the pavilion that might serve some comfort from their current drenched situation. None of them were able to get a sufficient amount of sleep that night, not with the dangerous strikes of lightning or the cacophony of the rolling thunder.  
  
"I can't sleep," Quatre finally sighed.  
  
"What do you want me to do sing you a lullaby?" Wufei snapped back.  
  
"You aren't helping our situation Wufei," Heero said.  
  
"Well neither are you!" Wufei shouted back.  
  
"Will you please just BE QUIET!" Zechs screamed. And as to his command, silence fell until another roll of thunder. Zechs sighed and turned to the sky, "Will you please be quiet too?" But of course, it didn't listen. The night wore on and Duo kept singing, "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts," but of course everyone was too enervated to say anything to him. The horizon became a light shade of pink as the sun began to rise and the clouds began to break apart. It was still raining but no longer as hard as it was the before.   
  
"Ah, it's morning," Quatre sighed.  
  
"And my ears are ringing from your singing, DUO!" Wufei cried out clasping his ears.  
  
"Hey you!" a voice shouted.  
  
"Oh no! Duck it must be security!" Heero whispered. The others lay low, if they lost their spot here, where else could they go?  
  



	8. Pizza Pizza

Chapter 8: Pizza Pizza  
  
"I wonder who it is," Duo said ducking as Heero had instructed.  
  
"HUSH!" Wufei hissed. Duo regretfully stayed quiet. They could see the shadow of two people walking towards them.  
  
"I knew I saw what I saw!" one of the voices said.  
  
"Sure, you just saw people who looked exactly like the characters from our favorite anime, yeah sure WHATEVER!" the other voice chimed in.   
  
Duo got up, "You mean us?" The other pilots shook their heads getting up as well, so much for secrecy.  
  
"Oh my God! Do you see what I see?" one of the guys said, he had short dirty blond hair.   
  
Duo looked at himself, "I look pretty clean to me."  
  
"Maybe you were wrong," the brown haired one said. The other guy shrugged and they slowly walked away.  
  
"What was that about?" Zechs asked.  
  
Quatre shrugged, "Guess we'll never know."  
  
"MAN!! AM I HUUUUNNNGGGGGRRRRRRYY!!!!" Duo groaned.  
  
"You're ALWAYS hungry," Wufei sighed. Duo nodded in agreement.  
  
"Some food would be nice," Zechs replied. The group started to walk along the sidewalk, perhaps they'd get lucky or Duo would steal them something to fill their stomachs. As they walked along, they passed by a pizza parlor. A neon sign on it flashed: Need a Job? Bartholomew's Beautiful Pizza Parlor has the perfect opportunity!  
  
Duo winced, "Who in their right mind names a Pizza Parlor that?"  
  
"Hey! Maybe we can get a job there," Quatre suggested.  
  
"That's actually a pretty good idea," Trowa agreed. Duo smiled, he had a lovely mental image of himself and the others working. Heero would twirl the Pizza, the others would put on the ingredients and so on, and he could see himself in the cleanup crew eating the superfluous ingredients.   
  
"Yeah! Let's GO!" Duo shouted happily. Slowly they filed in. Behind the desk was a stout man with a dragon tattoo.  
  
"Are you Bartholomew?" Zechs questioned a bit hesitant.  
  
"What's it to you?" the man boomed. Some of the pilots squirmed a bit, feeling uneasy.  
  
"We wanted to get a job," Heero stated his eyes had a determined look.  
  
"You losers?" the man smirked, "you guys even know what a pizza is?"  
  
"Hold me back," Duo whispered. Quatre firmly grabbed his braid.   
  
Wufei shouted, "You are treating us with INJUSTICE!"  
  
"Oh really little man?" the owner smiled. Zechs lost his patience. He walked up to the man and grabbed him by the shirt.  
  
"We AREN'T here to play games," Zechs said seriously, "we need money, we need a job, and we need food, AND you are going to give it to us without any arguments!"  
  
"Ok, tough guy, you have yourself a deal," the man replied. Zechs smiled letting the man go and walking over to the rest of them.  
  
"When do we start?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Today," the man answered.  
  
  
  
"Hello! You've reached Bartholomew's Beautiful Pizza Parlor, how may I help you?" Quatre said cheerfully into the receiver.  
  
Wufei sighed, "I think he is enjoying himself a little *too* much."  
  
"So, that would be two large pizzas with extra cheese?" Quatre continued, "coming right up!"  
  
Heero winced as he mixed the batter and had to twirl the crust. Every few seconds, Duo would walk around and investigate what everyone was doing.  
  
"Will you just leave me alone!" Wufei snapped when Duo snatched a pepperoni to eat from the pizza he was making… *again*  
  
Duo smiled and quickly ran off with Wufei ensuing holding a butcher knife.  
  
"Get back here MAXWELL!" Wufei screamed. Duo laughed doing a flip and landing perfectly on the counter. He was far from Wufei's reach, yet he kept running. He bumped into Treize who was holding a hot pizza. Treize dropped the pizza, which splattered all over the floor with the ingredients going everywhere!  
  
"Great, just what I need, spending the whole night picking out anchovies from my hair," Zechs sighed, who was standing right next to them when the accident occurred.  
  
"We better clean this up before the owner fires us all!" Trowa suggested.  
  
Just then, they heard the resonant voice of Bartholomew, "I'm coming in to check up on you."  



	9. Adventures in Oz Land

Chapter Nine: Adventures in Oz Land  
  
Disclaimer and Note: I don't own any Gundam characters, and suing me would be futile, seeing that I have nothing you might want. Ok, here's the note part. I know this is getting seriously long, but I promise I know exactly how it's going to end. (And I'm not telling anyone either- not even you Fei-chan) So just stick with it, we're almost home (or at least the Gundam Boys are) Afterwards I think I might make a sequel, since I have one in mind, but I have to see what the reviewers think. Ok, enough of my senseless blabbing and let's begin.  
  
"Hurry!" Quatre squealed looking at the mess that had been caused, "we can't let the owner see the mess we made!" Everyone rushed to the mess and started to clean up. There was no time to find a trashcan, so they just stuffed everything into the empty oven. By the time Bartholomew had arrived to check up on them, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened. All of his new employees were standing in a line smiling innocently (OH!!!!! How I'd love that picture! It'd be so funny!) Treize kept leaning against the oven, which is what first aroused Bartholomew to become suspicious. He walked over to Treize and looked him straight in the eye with his black beady eyes. Sweat began to trickle down Treize's forehead. Bartholomew smiled menacingly, pushing Treize away from the oven.  
  
"Don't open that!" Duo shouted.  
  
"Why?" Bartholomew asked as if he didn't suspect anything, " is something wrong?"  
  
Duo could only answer with a gulp. Bartholomew paid no heed to him and opened the oven. Half of the mess that they had shoved in there toppled out all over the floor and on to Bartholomew's shirt. Duo shut her eyes tightly; this couldn't be good.  
  
"FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!" the man shouted red faced and his dragon tattoo on his arm bulging.  
  
They didn't spend anytime dawdling; all of them ran out without even looking back. Bartholomew followed screaming indignantly.  
  
"Keep running!" Quatre shouted even though they really didn't need to be told to do so. Bartholomew finally gave up after a few blocks and they were able to take a nice deep breath.   
  
"Ok, so NOW where do we go?" Wufei asked annoyed by the turn of events.  
  
"Why don't we go in there?" Trowa suggested pointing at the building that had a giant lion's head for an entrance.  
  
"Makes sense that Trowa would want to go there," said Quatre giggling.  
  
"It's not like we have anywhere else to go, so let's go," Duo sighed. Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
"I now know what they mean by there's no place like home," Wufei said as he pushed the door to enter. The term was rather ironic with the situation for before them stood a life-sized model of a Wizard of Oz set (Note: I haven't been there in a while, so that may not be completely accurate, oh well, let's just pretend).  
  
"Wizard of Oz?" Zechs said staring at the model, he had never heard of such in the future.  
  
Treize was laughing insanely, "SEE! This proves that Oz exists in this world! And they probably call the current commander a wizard or something like that." Sweat drops appeared on everyone's head.  
  
A little girl stared at him, "That's my favorite movie."  
  
"Movie?" Treize asked perplexed, "Wizard of Oz is a movie?"  
  
"No duh," the little girl said hugging her teddy bear tighter (feisty young one, isn't she?)  
  
"You mean, there is no great army known as the Oz specials?" Treize seemed disheartened.  
  
"You need a psychiatrist," the little girl answered inching away.  
  
"Anyways," Zechs sighed trying to change the subject, "Quiet a nice place."  
  
"Too bad we didn't bring a camera," replied Quatre. In the backdrop could be heard the interesting sound of a casino. Duo's ear perked up.  
  
"That's cool!" Duo shouted running up to a slot machine, "if I had money, I'd put it on this one." Just then an old woman shoved him out of the way and inserted her quarter in the machine. She pulled down the lever and to Duo's demise; she got a jackpot. Trowa pulled a shocked Duo away from the machine. They started walking towards the back and then they were by a young woman.  
  
"Welcome to MGM Grand hotel," she said politely, "does your friend here need help?"  
  
"We're just looking around," Quatre answered as he helped Trowa drag the ballistic Duo to the back. After a long time, they were finally able to calm him down.  
  
"I can't believe this!" Duo said, "if we had won that jackpot we would have a place to stay tonight!"  
  
"But we didn't," Trowa answered, "and so we must find other means of survival."  
  
"Hey! Look at that!" Quatre exclaimed pointing to a giant theme park that extended from the back of the hotel. (And I know that does exist) Duo's attention quickly turned to the theme park.  
  
"Come on you guys!" Duo smiled, "let's go!"  
  
Wufei sighed and whispered to Heero, "At least he forgot about the money incident."  
  
  
  
  
Please Review and tell me how you like it so far. I know it's long… but I'll end it.. I promise!  
  



	10. Roller Coaster Heaven

Chapter Ten: Theme Park  
  
Note: Hey Everyone! I'm putting up Chapter Ten! Hehe. Anyways, the theme park may be one of their last adventures I don't know yet. Unless people want them to go to Hoover Dam and see other sights Las Vegas has to offer. (ah…. Hoover Dam, I think Duo had some serious thoughts about pushing Treize off of there…) Also I had some other plans but this is becoming a really long story, and I don't know how much longer people can bear with me. So, please Read and Review and tell me how you feel.  
  
"Come on! Come on!" Duo shouted dragging the six other people with him towards the theme park entrance.  
  
"These places usually cost money," Quatre sighed, "money that we don't have." Duo sulked slightly, but still dragged the others along. There was a red line drawn across the ground at the foot of the paying booths. As Duo walked across streamers launched into the air and confetti showered upon him like a monsoon. Duo stood there dumbstruck until a lady walked up to him and shook his hand.  
  
"Congratulations young man," she smiled warmly, "You are the billionth person to cross this line, as so you and your group will be given free tickets and a two nights stay at the MGM Grande. What do you have to say?"  
  
"What about food?" Duo asked.  
  
The lady answered, "Um… Food… I suppose we could provide that too, anything else you have to say?"  
  
"It's ABOUT time something went right," Duo plainly said. The woman handed Duo keys to two rooms for the group and tickets to the theme park. The others just stared at Duo who was smiling proudly. "Well, are you guys coming?" he asked casually walking through the entrance and handing the man their seven tickets.   
  
"Sure, why not?" Quatre answered cheerfully. Wufei merely jabbed Quatre in the ribs. "What's wrong Wufei, are you scared?" Quatre asked, it was quite unQuatre-like, but obviously Quatre was tired of Wufei.  
  
"Theme parks are for weaklings!" Wufei exclaimed.  
  
"Come on Wufei," Trowa protested, "we aren't in the middle of a war anymore, so we can actually enjoy ourselves."  
  
"We should get rid of them two and then there will be no more wars!" Wufei pointed accusingly at Treize and Zechs.  
  
"We can't Wufei," Heero finally spoke up, "we've already gone into a truce, and besides we may need them to get out of here." Hearing those words from Heero, who you would have expected to agree with Wufei caused all the arguments to cease. Eventually, every one of them entered the theme park and began to look around.  
  
"Let's go there!" Duo shouted pointing at an absolutely colossal roller coaster.  
  
"He must be out of his mind," Treize said.  
  
"Come on Treize," Zechs sighed, "we've been playing with death all our lives in those mobile suits." Duo managed to drag everyone into the winding line of the roller coaster. The cacophony of screams from the riders caused some discomfort in the pits of some of the pilot's stomachs. Slowly but surely, they moved closer to the ride.   
  
"This actually looks like it could be fun," Trowa commented, which was rather odd since he usually kept quiet unless absolutely necessary.  
  
"Now that's the spirit!" Duo chimed in. One of the little boys in front of them turned back and stared wide eyed.  
  
"You've got a braid!" he shouted.   
  
Duo looked rather confused, "Of course I've got a braid."  
  
"Just like my favorite character off of my favorite show!" the young child exclaimed. A slight sweat drop formed on Duo's temple.  
  
"Come along now," a woman who looked like his mother said, "I'm sorry boys, he has the obsession with this show and obviously you looked like one of the characters."  
  
"Um…. Ok.." Duo answered hesitantly since it had been the second time such an occurrence had happened. Finally, their patience paid off, it was their turn to ride the roller coaster. Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei sat in one car, while Treize, Zechs, and Duo sat in another. "They make me sit with the enemy," Duo mumbled, "gee, don't I feel so loved."  
  
Zechs slightly snickered, "Well, life has never been fair."  
  
Duo's eyes enlarged, "You could hear me? Well, no offense, but you ARE our enemy."  
  
"I have an acute sense of hearing," Zechs smiled, "and there's no offense taken because it is true." Just as he spoke, the roller coaster boosted forward. First, it started going uphill, higher and higher till it seemed they would touch the clouds. Instead of freefalling down as they had expected, it moved forward steadily and gently like a children's ride.  
  
"What's this?" Wufei interrogated, "I thought this was supposed to be daring and dangerous. What injustice, making people pay for such a …." As he was about to finish his sentence the roller coaster fell sharply towards the ground. Wufei started to scream in shock.  
  
"What were you saying Wufei?" Duo asked a breathless Wufei as they started to go back up hill again. Wufei was panting and could not reply. Duo grinned in satisfaction. This time the roller coaster zoomed through two consecutive loops and then went back up again. The next drop was sharp and the roller coaster only gained speed.  
  
"Will somebody STOP this thing?!?!" Treize seemed rather blue in the face and not enjoying himself too much.  
  
"Ah, Treize, come on, this is actually fun," Zechs tried to contain his laughter.  
  
Duo turned and looked at Zechs, "Why do I have a feeling that we're the only ones actually enjoying this?" The ride came to a stop, which relieved many of them.  
  
"I may have fought in Nataku," Wufei grumbled, "but that was far worse!"  
  
"Weakling," Duo commented quickly running away knowing that Wufei would soon chase him.  
  
"How DARE you!" Wufei shouted sprinting after Duo, "you're the weakling because you are too afraid to stand up to me!"  
  
"Come on and get me Wu-boy!" Duo screamed trying to annoy Wufei some more. In a few minutes both of them had run too far away from sight.  
  
"Great," Trowa sighed, "We've lost them."  
  
"Who knows what kind of trouble they'll get into," Heero smirked, "we better find them!"  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. I Spy with my Eyes Something that is.......

Chapter Eleven  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam or Las Vegas sheesh, I'd be RICH if I did. Anyways, this story is going to be long and I apologize if you have no patience. HEHE, poor dear G boys, I'm sure they're having lots of fun, though. As usual, please R and R and tell me if you like.  
  
"Come on Wu-boy! Come and catch me!" Duo taunted as he ran faster and deeper into the crowd. The two boys hadn't noticed yet that they had been separated from the rest of the group.  
  
"MAXWELL! When I get you.." Wufei shouted trying to grab Duo's braid but his efforts ended in vain.  
  
"When you get me what?" Duo asked smiling and running quicker.   
  
"Duo," Wufei had stopped and was looking around him, "where did everyone go?" Duo in turn stopped as well and walked over to Wufei noticing for the first time that they were in a sea of people they did not know. All around them were exciting rides none of which looked the least bit famaliar. Duo shivered even though the sun was beating down upon his back. They were lost, and in this time and place unpredictable things were bound to happen.  
  
"Great, good job Wufei, you got us lost," Duo scolded.  
  
"ME?!" Wufei became indignant, his face turned red as a beet.  
  
"Yeah, you!" Duo answered back. The crowd of people began to scrutinize.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Wufei snapped at the onlookers. Everyone merely shrugged and quickly hustled along on their way. A diminutive girl stopped and kept staring at them with big hazel eyes while she gently played with her raven black hair. Wufei shot the girl a nasty glance.  
  
"You two shouldn't fight," she said softly.  
  
"What is this, the Relena of the past!?" Wufei sighed.  
  
"You heard what the little girl said," Duo smiled, "come on let's go find the guys." That, though, was much easier said then done for no matter where they looked they could not find the rest of the group.  
  
  
  
"DUO! WUFEI!" Quatre shouted looking around for their two comrades.  
  
"There's no way we'll find them this way!" Trowa sighed. Their situation seemed hopeless.  
  
"We should probably wait by a food stand," Heero suggested, "Duo will get hungry and that will be where he'll head for." The others couldn't help but laugh since it was all too true. After wandering aimlessly for about an hour the group finally found a hot dog stand to wait by.  
  
"Duo loves hot dogs," Quatre commented, "last time he stopped by one of the Winner residents he gobbled down about seven." Sweat drops formed on everyone's foreheads and Trowa let out a long sigh. As they waited they were able to observe the people of that time.  
  
"I have much better things to do than stand around here," Treize said restlessly.  
  
"I know! I know!" Quatre exclaimed, "let's play I spy with my eyes." Several of the boys groaned. "I'll start," Quatre smiled, "I spy with my eyes something that is red!"  
  
"That balloon," Trowa pointed at the clown carrying the bunch of balloons.  
  
"Treize's blood," Heero grinned in a very malicious manner.   
  
"No, and um..no," Quatre grew a bit nervous at Heero's suggestion.  
  
"Zechs's uniform," Treize suggested.  
  
"That's right!" Quatre clapped his hands, "ok you're turn."  
  
Zechs mumbled in dissatisfaction. Treize snickered and looked around to see if there was anything interesting to use.  
  
"Ok, I've got it," Treize replied after pausing momentarily, "I spy with my eyes something that is white."  
  
"The birds," Zechs meant it in a sarcastic way but to his surprise Treize nodded.  
  
"Ok, Zechs it's your turn!" Quatre said.  
  
"Shouldn't we be looking for them?" Zechs asked, everyone shook their heads and his heart fell; he'd have to participate in this childish game. "Ok, ok, I spy with my eyes something that is brown."  
  
"Duo's braid!" Heero shouted pointing ahead.   
  
Zechs groaned, "No that's not it."  
  
"I meant Duo's right there!" Heero cleared up the confusion. The five of them quickly ran and Heero grabbed the braid. The owner of the braid turned to face them angrily and to their horror it was NOT Duo.  
  
"What do you think you are doing!?" the woman asked her eyes filled with flaming anger.  
  
"Sorry Lady," Quatre said hesitantly.   
  
The woman smiled exclaiming, "Why aren't you just the cutest little thing?!" She pinched one of his cheeks and Quatre felt himself burning with embarrassment.  
  
"Um.. Miss," Quatre found himself stumbling on his own words, "I really have to go." With that Quatre and the others darted off to safety.  
  
"People here are sure odd," Zechs snickered looking over to Quatre who was rubbing his red cheek. Several of the other boys couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
"You wouldn't be laughing if it happened to you!" Quatre shot back rather abashed. The day seemed to be wearing on quickly and time was running short. If they wanted a place to stay they needed Duo, since he had been the one who won the contest. The theme park seemed even more crowded than before since the cool evening breeze had made the night air much more pleasurable. Heero stared out into the stars like he had back at home, yet home seemed so far away now. When they were fighting in the war, life was precarious and there was never time for any true fun. Somehow life here, even though it was less advanced seemed much more enjoyable and Heero couldn't help but notice that he had a strong urge to stay instead of going back.  
  
  
Well! Chapter Eleven! Tell me what you think and I'll see if I can update this one more often! Please R and R!  



	12. The Search Continues

Ok, I admit. I've fallen way behind on updating this fic, but look! I'm updating!!! ^^ Er, Does anyone still want to read this?? Please R and R.  
  
"We're doomed!" Wufei groaned, "we'll never find the others."  
  
"Cheer up buddy boy!" Duo grinned while inspecting a bill he had found on the floor. The corner of it had the number 5 on it and it was evergreen in color. "Do you think this might be currency?" Duo seemed hopeful.  
  
"No, you fool, it's just a piece of dirty paper, now throw it away and let's go!" Wufei had obviously lost his patience. The swarm of people surrounding them with strange clothes and customs had exasperated him. Duo sighed and threw the bill down on the ground following his irritated friend. Behind him, an eager little boy walked up and found the money, his eyes becoming glazed with excitement, however, Duo did not see him.  
  
"You know, Wufei," Duo started to say while he looked up at the clear sky and took a fresh breath of air, "this place doesn't seem so bad." Wufei turned to look at Duo and for the first time, that look of fierceness was absent.  
  
"I… I think I must agree," he stated, closing his eyes as to evade Duo's reaction.  
  
"I mean," Duo did not seemed shocked at all, "I enjoy being the god of death and all, but…. But… sometimes.. sometimes I'd like to have a life of my own… to make my own decisions instead of following orders… to just go out a waste a day having fun… instead of fighting… you know what I mean?" Wufei nodded quietly. It seemed that this place had changed them, had somehow drained out their true feelings, and brought them a better purpose in life. "Of course, then again, whipping Oz arse is fun too!"   
  
Wufei laughed but then quieted, "I hate fighting a weak enemy." They had quickly abandoned their former thoughts and gone back to normal. 


	13. Found

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I must say I wish I did. (Starts falling into the day-dreamy state again, only to be thwaped) Oh well, I guess I'll be all right. I'm writing this, aren't I?  
  
Author's Note: After scrutinizing my writing for the last few chapters (Let me tell you, I don't really read this after I'm done. I actually just type and hope that my grammar is accurate as is my spelling) I've decided that I'm going to remodel the last few chapters using the new chapter replacement device. (They won't be that different but hopefully I will have pulled out some of the errors, added a few extra scenes, and elaborated since my current style of writing is, in my opinion, much more developed than when I first began to write.) So, hopefully you'll be seeing changes soon. (IMPORTANT) If you'd like me to email you every time I update this fic, send me an email at ladydemosthenes9@yahoo.com with the subject "2001" telling me so and I will. Gah! It's 2002 now, maybe I should rename my ficcie. or not. I think they will go back sometime in August. ^_^. Ok, nothing else for me to bore you with so let's go!  
  
Chapter Thirteen (lucky number thirteen, right?):  
  
1 By: Demosthenes  
  
The search seemed futile. No matter where they looked through the masses of people, they failed to find Duo and Wufei. Spirits were growing weary and minds found themselves at the brink of exhaustion. What was worse was that without Duo, there would be no free stay at the hotel, which would mean another sore night of sleepy in an uncomfortable place.  
  
"Aw dear, we thought something went right and then it has to go all wrong again!" Quatre sighed. He was complaining in a way, but no one saw it as such since he had always been unlikely to be the dissatisfied one. The hard concrete on the ground somehow made their legs ache even more, but no one made any comments to their fatigue.  
  
As even more time passed, Quatre was the first one to succumb. He sat down to rest on a nearby wooden bench only to be joined by Treize. There was one more spot to be taken, and the three remaining people gave each other shifty looks as to who was to sit down. Zechs sighed honorably, and in the most esteemed, handsome, princely manner suggested. (Interruption by unruly characters.. OOC Heero: Wait a second! Honorably? Princely manner? Hey! I'm the main character. I'm the one running the show! So why does he get such eloquent adjectives such as "esteemed" and "handsome"~!  
  
Trowa: I hate to admit it, but I agree, I thought you said you'd write "unbiasly".  
  
Quatre: I think you're showing your favor towards Zechs! That's uncalled for~!  
  
Treize: Yeah! Quatre and I get bashed twice as much as Pantene Pro-V boy over there!  
  
Authoress: ...  
  
Wufei: Yes! That is just an injustice!  
  
Authoress: You're supposed to be lost.  
  
Wufei: I had to be in the protest against weaklings like you.  
  
Authoress: This is pointless... Ok, everyone... I'll try to be a little fairer to the rest of you.. (crosses fingers) Anyways. as I was saying!) Zechs sighed and suggested (Everyone happy? I took out the adjectives!), "Why don't either one of you sit down? I'm not that tired." Trowa and Heero stared at each other. Heero was the perfect soldier, he was not supposed to tire out and Trowa was almost as obstinate as Heero. Almost. He quickly took the seat.  
  
  
  
They approached a gold encrusted carousel playing soothing music as youngsters laughed enjoying the ride the bobbing stallions provided. Duo closed his eyes and thought about the childhood he had never had. "What if this is where I had been born instead," he thought, "would I be that happy? With parents to love me and a normal life?" He had sworn never to echo these thoughts out loud; it would be uncharacteristic of him to do so. They all saw him as carefree, jovial, loquacious Duo. Never what was under the surface - the lamenting child that sought revenge for everything he had lost.  
  
"Are you alright?" Wufei asked. It was awfully compassionate of him to notice something was wrong. Then again, that was the way it seemed on the outside. He too, had a visage put up, one of strength and perseverance - but like the others he had his reasons to fight. He closed his eyes and thought of "her" from so very long ago. (His wife who died. Yes, for those of you who didn't know he did have a wife. or was it his betrothed? I don't recall exactly, but there was a woman in his life that he cared about. AMAZING! I'm joking about the "amazing" part. Sorry, I know I ruined the mood. Then again, this is supposed to be farce, not some melancholic angst fic.)  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Duo answered quickly putting up his famous grin once more, "must have been something I ate." They continued to walk on, hoping they'd find the others.  
  
"Duo, what if we don't find them?" Wufei asked, getting a bit worried.  
  
"I have the tickets! Bwahaha! We get free rooms and they'll be stuck on the streets, and then we'll get a good breakfast while they'll be digging through trashcans for food~! I can almost see it! Treize will complain because he won't get everything on a silver platter and."  
  
"You make me sorry I even asked," Wufei groaned.  
  
"Well, for that attitude, I don't think I'll share the extra room tickets with you," Duo said jokingly.  
  
"That would be injustice," Wufei commented.  
  
"You sure like that word," Duo teased. He looked up and noticed familiar faces ahead. "Hey! It's them!" Duo stormed off towards the rest of the company with lightning speed. His braid flew gracefully in the wind.  
  
"Are you sure this isn't another desert mirage?" Wufei questioned running after his stampeding comrade. But Duo was going too fast to listen. When he got closer, he halted and walked up to them casually.  
  
"So, what's up you guys?" he asked in a nonchalant tone.  
  
"DUO!" Quatre shouted. The group quickly turned their attention to the braided Deathscythe pilot.  
  
"Where on earth did you guys wonder off to?" Trowa interrogated.  
  
A monotone voice interrupted, "I didn't expect much from you, Duo but I thought that you, Wufei, would have more sense than to get yourself lost."  
  
Wufei scowled, "It was all Maxwell's fault." A harsh wind began to blow against the pilots as if to personify Wufei's annoyance and anxiety at getting lost.  
  
"Arguing is not going to accomplish anything," Zechs commented, "I'm sure everyone else is tired so we should go and get some rest. Then, our minds will be fresher to think of a way out of this demise." Quatre nodded in agreement. It was getting late and the air was growing cooler. No one was in the mood to argue anymore. Quatre and Trowa stood up from the bench, as did Treize. Treize, though, brushed himself off thoroughly as if he was going to meet someone extremely important very soon. The reunited group of seven - five pilots, two Oz soldiers started off for the hotel. Inside, warm air, flashing lights and the ringing of a casino greeted them. A world of freedom. A world with opportunities. A war without a grand war.  
  
  
  
And here, this chapter ends. paving the way for another to begin. Your reviews are greatly appreciated and are quite inspiring! Remember, if you'd like me to email you when I update, just send me an email at ladydemosthenes9@yahoo.com. Subject "2001". Thank you and stay tuned for another chapter!  
  
Wufei: You mean another "biased" chapter.  
  
Authoress: Aw, I'm hurt.  
  
Wufei: So am I. By the lack of good lines! "Injustice", doesn't that seem like the only thing I ever say!? I do have a good vocabulary you know! I can say words like "garrulous" and "cacophony" and "defenestrate". Why can't I say things like that?  
  
Authoress: Talk too much and I'll have it arranged for you to be defenestrated! (For those who are wondering, Definition Defenestrate: to be pushed out of a high window.) Many thanks to AtaM for introducing me to that wonderful word! 


	14. Survival of the Fittest

Author's Note:  I can't update too often now.  Many apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.

            The air inside the hotel was much cooler than that of outside, but for Zechs, who was born in a country where low temperatures were welcomed, it was comforting.  Quatre shivered slightly as the air enveloped him, being cold reminded him that he was far from the familiarity of the desert.

"I suppose we present these tickets at the front desk," Duo commented, fumbling with the slips of paper in his hand.  The others nodded, not really in the mood for forming words.  Because of the maze of slot machines and black jack tables, it took the group a few minutes to locate the front desk.  Duo leaned against the desk, slipping the tickets across the marble counter to the attendant.  The attendant, who looked in her mid thirties, blinked brown eyes and examined them.  

"So, you won the contest for a two nights' free stay?" she inquired, examining the tickets.  

Duo displayed a grin, "Yes, ma'am, indeed we did."

"We?" the attendant stated, somewhat perplexed.  Duo gestured to the others behind him in order to make his point.  The attendant squinted and then pointed to fine text at the bottom of the ticket, "It says only the person who stepped across the line gets the free stay."  Duo's eyebrows furrowed in disdain; he glanced back at his comrades and shrugged.

"If all of us can't stay, then none of us should," Quatre said with a weak smile, "It would be the best thing to do."

Duo's grin faded away momentarily and then returned, "Actually, the best thing for me is to stay here.  The rest of you can find somewhere to hang out."  Wufei's jaw nearly dropped, and his face wrinkled in dissatisfaction.  His skin was becoming a color synonymous to having been left frying in the sun too long.

Zechs smiled slightly, "A wise decision Maxwell."  The others gave Zechs threatening glares.  "This is survival of the fittest," Zechs explicated, "And Maxwell has proven himself to be the fittest for now."

"MAXWELL?  THE FITTEST?!" Wufei burst out angrily, "WHY he's no stronger than a woman!"  His fists were clenched, and he was visibly less composed than usual.

Upon hearing the insult, the attendant behind the desk rose, "I don't know who you think you are buster, but I won't have you insulting the female race like that!  If you've got a problem, you can settle it with me!"  The woman's eyes were burning with rage.  

"I don't fight women," Wufei retorted, crossing his arms.

"SECURITY!" the woman shouted, and instantly men in black uniforms surrounded the unruly Wufei and everyone but Duo.  "Please escort these men out of the hotel."  The anger had slightly faded from her face, and now her eyes were gleaming with victory.  The security officers led them away towards the exit of the hotel, and Duo just stood there waving.

*      *      *

"WHAT A TRAITOR!" Wufei boomed once they were back outside and the security guards were out of earshot, "THAT Maxwell should not be trusted."

"He did what he had to in order to survive," the usually reticent Heero Yuy added, "And if you kept yourself composed, we might have at least been able to stay in the lobby of the hotel."  The soldier's eyes were distant and detached, "We'll have to find a place to stay.

"I have an idea," Trowa said softly, "We are here, and there is no war.  We might as well enjoy ourselves.  We could view the sites as it seems everything here never closes."  He fell quiet once more, having put out his opinion for evaluation.

"I think that's a great idea!" Quatre exclaimed, "Where shall we go first?"  His eyes twinkled with anticipation.

"I suggest that we investigate the feat of ingenuity that fooled us before.  I should like to get a close look at that volcano," Zechs suggested.  The others seem to more or less agree with the suggestion as it provided them with a starting point.  "I believe it was that way," Zechs said pointing to the west where a massive structure stood in front of an eloquent hotel.  

The six males dodged pedestrians as they meandered through the masses of people towards the place.  On more than one occasion, Zechs's hair got caught on something, and the group had to stop while he freed the delicate blonde hair from wherever it was stuck.  This proved to amuse everyone, including Treize, who was supposedly his best friend.  By the time they reached the facsimile of a volcano, Zechs was rather depressed over losing a few strands of perfectly silky hair that had been carefully cleansed with specially formulated Pantene-Pro-V (For Hair so silky, it shines.), which was delivered regularly to the OZ base in boxes. 

"What's wrong, Zechs?" Quatre questioned, noticing the distress on the Colonel's face.

"Nothing," Zechs answered followed by muttering about how he hadn't gotten to take a shower in two or so days while Duo was probably wallowing in luxury.

"Do you OZ soldiers even know the meaning of war?" Wufei asked, not realizing that he was speaking to a man of noble blood.

"Survival of the fittest," stated Heero with a shadow of a smile.

And that's all for today folks.  Be nice and leave a review! 


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